Giving a voice to people with disabilities

Ulaanbaatar – Today, the United Nations in Mongolia held a consultative meeting with people with disabilities in Mongolia, marking the International Day of People with Disabilities on 3 December. 

“This meeting is very timely for the UN system in Mongolia as we are entering into the implementation of the UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework for the next five years, starting from 2023”, said Mr. Tapan Mishra in his welcoming remarks. 

“UN Country Team members discussed opportunities for further partnerships and engagement with disability-focused civil society organizations and other stakeholders in order to effectively engage and advocate for the rights of people with disabilities and learn their challenges and priorities.”

The UN in Mongolia also invited Mr. Ch. Undrakhbayar, Social Policy Advisor to Prime Minister, Ms. S. Tungalagtamir, Head of Population Development Department, and other government officials from relevant ministries and agencies to bring all key players on board for creating a more inclusive and equitable policy for people with special needs. 

Mr. Ch. Undrakhbayar highlighted some of the key policies and measures by the Government within its New Revival Policy that aimed at the well-being of people with special needs. He emphasized the importance of public and private sector partnerships for a more inclusive development policy that leaves no one behind. 

 

This year’s theme of the International Day of People with Disabilities highlights the transformative solutions for inclusive development: the role of innovation in fueling an accessible and equitable world. Along this line, Mr. Undrakhbyar also introduced some of the policies reforms, and measures that aimed to make ICT services accessible for people with disabilities.

This includes Government’s digital transformation initiatives such as the e-Mongolia platform that will make public services more and easily accessible for people with special needs. 

Among the invitees were the broad representatives from the civil society organizations who are actively advocating for the rights of their constituencies. 

Mr. Ya. Avirmed, head of the Tugeemel Khugjil NGO presented the preliminary findings of the monitoring of the housing rights of persons with disabilities in Mongolia, commissioned by the UN in Mongolia in 2022. 

Limited access to decent and affordable housing has been identified as a pressing issue as many of them live in ger areas that are not connected to central heating, water supply, and sewage system.

Mr. N. Tamirkhuu, a member of the PwD community, stressed that the housing policies and mortgage procedures are not prioritizing the vulnerable strata of the population including people with disabilities.  

Participants also raised other challenges that people with disabilities face including the lack of labour rights implementation and access to education and basic infrastructure. 

Some of the notable solutions discussed include improving government policies through innovative financial mechanisms and enhancing employment opportunities to enable their economic status to qualify for mortgage loans. 

It was a timely consultative meeting for the UN Country Team to listen to the voice of people with disabilities and understand their needs, challenges, and priorities. 

The UN Country Team is committed to contributing to tackling some of the pressing issues within the new phase of our Cooperation Framework to promote a more inclusive and equitable development in Mongolia.